A seething mass of turgid drama.

I just finished Sausage: A Global History by Gary Allen. It's a decent little book in a series dedicated to food and drink - a good overview, some modern recipes, a fair number of photos and historic advertisements. There's nothing really that I didn't know, but it's a much deeper dive into the history than any other charcuterie book I've read.

The second chapter (the title still makes me snerk - "Some Historical Sausages and the Links Between Them") starts with a couple allusions from The Iliad and goes forward. Apicius, check. Both the 10th and the 13th c. Middle Eastern cookery books, that's unusual. Form of Curye, Menagier, Guter Spise, check. Rumpolt, that's less common. Manuel de Mujeres? Ouverture de Cuisine? Dude did some serious research.

Eventually I get to the acknowledgements, here put in the back.

"I have to first thank Ken Albala, historian of all things culinary, who practises what he preaches."

Ah, that makes sense!

"He put me in touch with Jeremy Fletcher, who has collected and translated a vast number of medieval and Renaissance sausage recipes."

...
I'm glad the Charcuterie doc was useful. I did not translate much of it, of course, and the doc has full attribution to those who did. But, um. Is it bragging to say that I know his pre-1600 research is accurate?

The two top-performing asset classes in 2011: long Treasurys and inflation-linked bonds. (sigh)

Saturday I went with the upstairs neighbors to our local food bookstore to hear Ken Albala and his co-author Rosanna Nafziger speak about their book. Some months back I sent Ken a link to my charcuterie Google Doc - I figured he'd enjoy the compendium. When I introduced myself (and handed him a smoked sausage that he helped inspire) his response was "Oh, the historic sausage guy!"

I was pleased. And amused, but mostly pleased.

What's the nerdiest thing you've ever done? Define as you see fit.
I really have to split that in two.
Social nerdiness: Being interviewed by Channel 54 (the local PBS station) while I stood in line at Timecon for Tom Baker's autograph. Yes, they aired a five-second clip.

Academic nerdiness: Taking part in the Academic Decathlon... and winning the math portion.

What's the jock-est thing you've ever done? Define as you see fit.
I went to the national high school volleyball finals (we placed second) but I was a backup; I didn't play much. For personal accomplishment, it's my college fencing apex.

Feel free to post to your own journal or comment on your own experiences here, if you feel like it.

What I'm reading: Allen Steele, Spindrift

You'd think you'd have learned to not show learning by now.

Do not use phrases like "The Fed is trying to navigate between Scylla and Charibdis" while talking to a financial reporter. It confuses them and makes them skittish.

The sad thing is that I really wasn't trying to show off my liberal-arts education. It was the analogy that first came to mind.

Do not use phrases such as "This is not the Oracle of Delphi" when talking to a financial reporter. It confuses them and breaks your cover.

The five-minute cable TV interview went fine. I've done better; I've also done worse. People at work seem to think I did a good job, so I'll take that.

The most stupid part of the interview, however, was when the host asked my opinion on a chart that they threw onto the screen. She didn't say what the chart referenced. Um? I was sitting in a dark studio, with attached earbug, staring into the camera. They don't show you the monitor (because then you'd get distracted watching yourself).

I had a very brief urge to reply "Tell me what the chart is and I'll comment. Jane, you ignorant slut." Instead I faked it - I blathered briefly about breakeven inflation rates or something along those lines. I have no idea if it related to the chart at all.

Whew. I'm done.
I don't think I came across on TV as a blithering idiot - but I could have been a lot better.

Still on the to-do list:
relax and cool off.
Drinks.
Dinner.
Baseball watching.

Tomorrow: the Cloisters, dammit.